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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · shower · toast · stock · hand · lash · wind · jam

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. shower — rain
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stock — goods
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bear — the animal
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. toast — bread
  23. hand — in cards
  24. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com